Through the Dark
by BrianaValdez167
Summary: This is part of the battle scene in Athens rewritten in Percy's POV. "...there was no trace of a smile on her face. Her eyes were dark and stormy. To anyone else, she would seem intimidating and serious, but after fighting alongside her for five years, I could see the underlying trace of fear that she did her best to hide." Warning: BoO spoilers, character death


**A/N: Hey guys, I finished BoO the day after it came out, so I had to write something ****(Also Sarah told me to)****.**

**I'm sorry if it sucks, I'm not that amazing at writing angst.**

**Disclaimer****: Okay here we go. Most of the italicized dialogue belongs to Rick Riordan, from the original PJO series. The battle scene also belongs to Rick Riordan. The dialogue at the beginning (minus one sentence) also belongs to Rick Riordan. He also owns all the characters. The only things I own are Percy's 'future visions' and the fact that this scene is rewritten in Percy's POV. So that means I sorta own his thoughts? Kinda? But Rick owns everything else.**

**Also, the title came from ****_Through the Dark_**** by One Direction (Go listen to it).**

* * *

><p>All I could think of as we passed through the camouflage membrane was how slimy it felt. It reminded me of that one time the Ares kids lost a bet and had to make breakfast for the entire camp. Of course, it had to turn into a nasty food fight, but whatever.<p>

Thankfully none of it stuck to me, but I managed to accidentally smell it and… Let me just say, Annabeth's lemon shampoo smells _so_ much better, even in… well. Gods, I can't even think of the name of that place without getting bad memories.

After Tartarus, the others pretty much tip-toed around Annabeth and I. Truthfully, I was thankful. I didn't think I could handle a lot of questions about that place, and I was pretty sure Annabeth wouldn't like it too much either, despite how much we love our friends.

Even in the midst of a battle, Annabeth would be at least a little excited at the prospect of seeing her mother's temple; but now, there was no trace of a smile on her face. Her eyes were dark and stormy. To anyone else, she would seem intimidating and serious, but after fighting alongside her for five years, I could see the underlying trace of fear that she did her best to hide.

Her skin was still pale, despite being out of there for nearly a week. The other physical signs were much more subtle. Her shoulders sagged, and we both tensed in the darkness more often. Sunlight proved to be an effective way to chase off the nightmares.

We arrived at three long gashes in the earth, like a giant eagle had scraped the ground with its talons. Annabeth smoothed over the marks with her hand. Annabeth told me briefly that these were Poseidon's trident marks, where he struck the earth and produced the saltwater fountain in the contest for the patron of Athens.

"So this is where the rivalry started," I guessed, running my hand along one of the marks.

"Yeah."

Acting on pure impulse (that's nothing new), I locked my arms around Annabeth's waist and pulled her in, pressing my lips against hers, muffling her surprised gasp. Her arms finally slid around my neck and pulled me closer. I threaded my fingers through her hair, reveling in the warmth I had come to associate with her.

I pulled away smirking, leaving Annabeth shocked and flustered. Her mouth was hanging open and her face was completely red, which I thought was adorable, though she would kill me if I said that.

I grinned and intertwined my fingers with hers. "The rivalry ends here. I love you, Wise Girl," I stroked my thumb over her knuckles. I had been waiting for a while to say that, but it never seemed like the right time, with all this fighting and stuff we had to worry about.

Annabeth smiled, lighting up in the way I loved to watch, even though she was rolling her eyes. "I love you too, Seaweed Brain."

I gave her a goofy smile, which she rolled her eyes at.

Damn, I had almost forgotten Piper was there… oops?

"Sorry, I had to do that," I told her apologetically. Annabeth gave him a look like _of course you did, you dork._

Piper just smiled at me, making me feel a bit less guilty about completely ignoring her for a solid five minutes. "How could a daughter of Aphrodite not approve? You're a great boyfriend."

_I sure hope so_, I thought, glancing at Annabeth. But for the time being, we had other things to worry about. Namely, that big group of monsters in the Parthenon.

·*·*· 

Disabling the onagers was going well… until the Mist stopped working.

I skirted a group of ogres and barely dodged a question from an evil centaur.

I was casually trudging along, disguised as a monster, occasionally dodging or attacking monsters if needed, when I heard a shriek.

I spotted Annabeth to my left and stopped in my tracks. The Mist had worn off. I glanced down at myself and saw my own jeans and Camp t-shirt.

Being dragged along by the princess Periboia was Annabeth, angrily kicking and fighting. She had gotten captured. My heart dropped into my stomach, and a feeling of absolute dread dispersed over my entire body.

_We dangled from a ledge in the pit. I tried desperately to keep from letting go, but I knew we would never make it; we would end up falling. _

_I never hesitated grabbing on to Annabeth. I didn't want to imagine the horrible things she'd have had to face alone. I loved her too much to let her face that alone._

_I could tell that she was exhausted. Her hair was significantly more disheveled than usual, her clothes were ripped in places, and she had all but gone limp in my grip, yet she still looked beautiful to me._

_"__We're staying together," I promised. "You're not getting away from me. Never again."_

_Annabeth's intense grey eyes shone with tears, and I could feel one tracing its way down my cheek, but I was determined._

_"__As long as we're together." _

_With that I let go of the ledge, sending us both falling into the darkness._

I shook the vision out of my head. Ever since Tartarus, both Annabeth and I had been getting these bad flashbacks, and I had a feeling they would only get worse… assuming we lived that long.

At least in my flashback, I was able to grab her hand on time. This time I was helpless, too far away to lunge for her. "Annabeth!" I panicked.

Before I could take off running to her, I was lifted off the ground and nearly crushed in a giant fist. I sucked in harshly and cried out in surprise, only just managing to hang on to Riptide. Not that it mattered; it would just appear later in my pocket anyway.

"Silly son of the Sea God. Your blood will be spilled for Gaea!" A cheer rose up from the other giants and monsters, but I paid them no mind. All my attention was focused on how Annabeth was being dragged into the Parthenon, the temple of her own mother, to be sacrificed to Queen Dirt Face.

I recognized the giant from Piper's description-Enceladus. He stepped into the temple, where Annabeth was thrown on the ground, then held by the neck. I struggled helplessly in Enceladus's giant fist, trying to squirm free to get to Annabeth.

I vaguely heard the giants and monsters talking and laughing, but I couldn't bring myself to pay attention.

Time seemed to slow down.

The princess drew her knife. I squirmed harshly, earning myself a squeeze to the ribcage, nearly crushing my lungs. The king giant stopped her, motioning for a grey colored giant to come forward, carrying a huge cleaver.

_Annabeth! _I tried to shout, but the giant was squishing me so hard I couldn't breathe.

I couldn't imagine Annabeth, the sarcastic, intelligent, blonde, grey-eyed hero being sacrificed; but suddenly the possibility of losing her seemed too real. There was a physical pain in my stomach that had nothing to do with the fact that I was being squeezed to death by Enceladus.

Annabeth and I had been through so much together.

_"__You drool when you sleep."_

_"__Because I'm your friend, Seaweed Brain. Any more stupid questions?"_

Would I really have to cope in a life without her? I know it's a danger in every demigod's life, but this…

_"I'm glad you're not a guinea pig."_

_"You didn't believe I was dead?"_

_"__Be careful, Seaweed Brain."_

_"__I am never, _ever_ going to make things easy for you, Seaweed Brain. Get used to it."_

Hera had stolen my memories then, about four months later (still, _not cool_). Despite all that, I had never forgotten Annabeth (well, she was my lifeline in the River Styx, so if Hera had taken my memories of her away, it probably wouldn't have been good, but still).

_"__As long as we're together."_

_"__Love you too!"_

Something inside me cracked, and I let out a rebellious yell. I felt a familiar pressure in my gut, and a geyser exploded a bit a ways away.

The giant king laughed, but it sounded like it came from another dimension. All that existed was Annabeth and I, and that cleaver that was getting dangerously close to Annabeth.

_My hand felt warm as I walked the halls of Goode High School. I looked to my right and saw a familiar head of honey curls. Grinning, I squeezed her hand. She squeezed back, looking up at me with shining grey eyes. _

_We must have been on our way to class, because we were both carrying backpacks full of the senior essentials: Annabeth had her books, binders, a calculator and some unfinished designs for Mount Olympus, while I had some binders and my iPod. _

_"__You need your books, Seaweed Brain," Annabeth teased, bumping my shoulder with hers. I grinned goofily._

_"__Somehow I made it to senior year without them."_

_Annabeth rolled her eyes, but kissed me. "That's because you're smarter than you think. But you need to make good studying habits. See you at lunch?"_

_"Of course, Wise Girl."_

The grey giant touched his blade to the earth and began to speak. Surely the fates could not be so cruel, to have us survive Greek Hell only to suffer. Annabeth's shoulders slumped and a tear rolled down her cheek.

She caught my gaze, mouthing _I'm so sorry Percy. I love you._

My fists clenched, and my throat closed up, but I mouthed back: _I love you too._

_I sat up against the headboard, typing a college essay on my laptop. Annabeth rolled over, bumping into my leg and startling herself awake._

_"__Percy?" she asked, her voice thick with sleep. Her curls were messy and her t-shirt (stolen from me) was sliding off her shoulder, but she looked absolutely beautiful._

_I tangled my fingers with hers. "Go back to sleep," I said softly, but she shook her head and sat up. _

_"What are you doing up at__-__" __she glanced at the clock, "__-__three am?"_

_I sighed, running a hand through my extremely messy hair, which I probably needed to get cut. "I have to finish this essay by tomorrow and I'm only halfway done."_

_Annabeth let out a breath. "I warned you not to procrastinate, Percy," she scolded, but stood up and went to the kitchen. _

_"__Where are you going?"_

_"__To get us some hot chocolate."_

_I smiled to myself._

Thoon held up the cleaver, ready to strike, and I felt the beginning of grief wash over me. I was really going to lose her. My gut twisted painfully at the sight.

Maybe we could find each other in Elysium.

_"__Bianca!" Annabeth yelled from downstairs. "Luke! Lunch time!"_

_I hopped the last few steps and walked into the kitchen, sliding my arms around Annabeth's waist from behind and setting my chin on her shoulder. "What's for lunch?"_

_"__Peanut butter and jelly sandwiches for the kids, and blue ham and cheese sandwiches for us," she turned her body to face me and rested her arms around my neck._

_I hummed, dropping my head on her shoulder and kissing the skin on her neck. I heard her breath hitch, but just then, Bianca and Luke Jackson came running in, seven and five years old._

_Annabeth settled Luke on her hip, bouncing him up and down and running a hand through his unruly blond curls._

_"Where's the food?" Bianca looked around, her grey eyes spotting the sandwiches, and raced to the kitchen counter. _

_I chuckled. "That's my girl."_

Now we would never get a chance to live that life.

_My hand was cold and empty. I walked numbly down the halls of Goode High, not caring about moving for other students._

_"Hey, watch where you're going!"_

_I ignored it._

_I kept picturing blonde hair and grey eyes. Her laugh, her smile, her glare when she looked like she wanted to punch me._

_Another person bumped against my shoulder, and I cracked._

_"Get the fuck out of my way!" I shouted, grabbing the attention of the entire hallway by pushing the kid up against the lockers._

_The kid looked crazy scared, but I ignored that too. I wanted to kill him._

_Wait... what?_

_I dropped the kid on the floor, making a run to the boys' bathroom. I braced myself on the edge of the sink, glancing in the mirror at the slightly still murderous gleam in my eyes._

_What's happening to me?_

_..._

_I watched as little kids ran across the forum, chasing each other with fake imperial gold knives. The sun was shining and the autumn air was slightly chilly, but still warm enough for a t-shirt and shorts. _

_I was 23. Annabeth and I could have graduated college together and had kids by now._

_Hazel sat on the bench next to me, offering me a hot dog, but I refused. It's not that I don't eat, because my friends definitely made sure I did. I just couldn't, watching the possibility of a future with the love of my life that we could never have._

_I felt my throat constricting, and my vision began swimming, as if I was going to have another flashback._

_I went inside wordlessly._

It wasn't fair. After all she and I had been through, she deserved so much more.

I struggled one more time.

The cleaver came down.

·*·*·

A huge group of campers greeted us as the battle ended. They cheered and clapped us on the back, but the best we could give were half-hearted smiles.

Not only did I lose the love of my life, but we lost Leo, too. The entire Argo II crew was in a somber mood, but I was numb.

Chiron trotted up. "Percy!" he set a hand on my shoulder. "Well done my boy. All of you did well," he turned to the others, then back to me, searching the crowd.

I knew who he was searching for, and I had to stifle a sob. Chiron had been like a father to Annabeth since she was seven. He turned to me with a horror-struck look, and I nodded.

He set his jaw, trying to look strong, but I could see the overwhelming pain in his eyes.

Clarisse whispered "Is she...?"

I nodded again.

We all stood there for a few minutes, trying to comprehend what had happened.

I was angry. Angry at the gods for getting us into this mess. Angry at the giants for killing her. Angry at the world for hating us. Angry at myself for not saving her.

"IT'S NOT FAIR!" I screamed, startling the entire camp, but I ignored them. I fell to my knees on the ground of my home, of her home, of our home.

My entire body shook, my chest heaving with sobs. The love of my life, my best friend since I was twelve years old, was gone.

She was dead, and I was broken.

Another sob ripped itself from my body, and I felt the presence of the remaining members of the Argo II crew, and probably Grover, crouching next to me and crying.

We were grieving for Leo. For Annabeth.

I was grieving for them, too. But mostly, I was grieving about the futures they could never have.

·*·*·

**DON'T KILL ME!**

**Tell me what you think in the reviews, my lovelies!**

**(Also please excuse grammar mistakes, I am not a professional writer).**

**~Bri xx**


End file.
